This weekend the Orange Empire Railway Museum will be rolling out the trains, and beloved cartoon characters, for the start of its Halloween season celebration.

The Great Pumpkin Patch Express will be running Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16, with the assistance of "Peanuts" characters Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy, according to a news release from the museum. The promotion continues the weekend of Oct. 22-23.

Individuals interested in donating blood at Perris City Hall on Sunday, Oct. 2, are reminded to have a light meal first, drink plenty of liquids and bring a driver’s license because ID will be required.

The blood drive will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 101 North D Street. LifeStream will be partnering with the city.

The overflow crowd at the Menifee City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21, included over a dozen residents of a Menifee neighborhood there to express dissatisfaction about the conditions at their local skatepark.

The individuals were from Audie Murphy Ranch -- a master-planned community comprised of new homes, many with young families -- where a skatepark seemed like a natural fit.

But speaker after speaker addressed the four-member city council (Mayor Scott Mann did not attend due to a personal matter) about ...

A series of community service projects -- under the banner of Perris Proud Week -- kicked off this weekend with neighborhood yard sales for which the city waived its permit and fee requirements, according to a news release issued by the city.

Next week public works officials will undertake a program to remove fliers, placards and illegal signs from phone polls and street signs.In addition, landscapes along Perris Boulevard and Orange Avenue will be upgraded and tires ...

The question of how to manage the parks and recreation services in Menifee has been an issue since the city incorporated eight years ago.

At that time, Riverside County oversaw the area west of I-215, and Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District operated on the east side – as they had since at least the early 1990s. The city assumed responsibility from the county for the west side when Menifee formed its own Community Services Department last year.